It reads more like a conversation than instructions. Lamott is both wise and funny. The main things I took from it were that it's okay to be a pantser (I seem to be having problems with this lately and have developed a fear of throwing myself in at the deep end) and it's okay to write a shitty first draft. Which I already knew but it was nice to have someone say it. So much of the writing advice out there these days is aimed at plotters, or pantser to turn them into plotters. Now I just need something to write a shitty first draft about.
I've also got Elizabeth George's Write Away on the TBR pile, and a book about writing crime and thrillers since I'm trying to broaden my horizons. And there's a stack of writing magazines I'm struggling to keep up with, although I'm thinking about giving up on some of those. That's a whole other blog post though.
Next month is NaNoWriMo. This year is the tenth anniversary of my first attempt, and I feel a little like I should celebrate by taking part. I'm not sure there's room in my life for a 50,000 word novel at the moment though. Certainly not one I write in a month. Although it would get me a shitty first draft.